Method for producing ornaments



H. HELLER ET AL METHOD FOR PRODUCING ORNAMENTS Filed Feb. 1'7 1925 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 June 16, 1925. 1,541,952

67225135" Jf go .MZ/er J/afiarf Flannel June 16, 1925. 1,541,952

H. HELLER ET AL um on FOR PRODUCING oammsu'rs FiledF'eb. 17, 1923 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 Ill I m- I 19 nueo nutter. nun nosaar r.

rran starts it or MILWAUKEE, Wisconsin, SAID rarin- MEL .ASSTGNGR T0 SAID HELLER.

llfiETHOD FGR BBCDUCITHG OBNATEENTS.

Application filed February 17, 1923. Serial No. 619,665.

1 0 all whom it may concern:

Be it known that we, HUGO IIELLER and HOBART F. FRIMMEL, citizens of the United States, residing at Milwaukee, in the county of Milwaukee and State of Wisconsin, have invented. new and useful Improvements in Methods for Producing Ornaments, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates primarily to a method for producing ornaments.

'Ornaments ordinarily used for decorating Christmas trees are hollow and made ofthin glass which is brittle. Hence they fragile and easily broken.

The object of this invention is to provide a process for readily and economically manufacturing lustrous metallic ornaments.

Another object is to provide a process for decorating the ornaments in colors.

Another object is to provide a process for producing a lustrous metallic ornament which is strong and rigid.

Another object is to provide a process for producing a lustrous ornament of increased brilliancy.

()ther objects and advantages will hereinafter appear. i

The ornament which it is contemplated producing by this process is made fromthin sheet metal or foil having a lustrous surface.

Its walls have narrow corrugations, flutes or pleats which increase the brilliancy of the ornament, strengthen the same and give rigidity thereto.

.The lustrous surface is ordinarily decorated with a thin film of translucent or transparent coloring material through which light readily passes to and from the metallic surface enabling the ornament to retain'its lustre.

The ornament is produced by pressing the blank of sheet metal or foil into the required shape and in this operation the corrugations, flutes or pleats are formed.

The colored decoration is ordinarily placed upon the blank before it is pressed into shape as that enables various colored designs to be produced upon the ornament.

There is no drawing or redistribution of the metal in the formation of the ornament and hence the design is not distorted.

The colored decoration is usually printed upon the blank but it may beapplied in other ways.

The ornament being made of metal will withstand ordinary shocks, jars or blows without being broken like glass and other brittle and fragile ornaments.

lVh-ile this process is particularly appropriate for producing Christmas tree ornaments or the like it has phases which are susceptible of being applied to the production of other ornaments and articles and which are within the purview thereof.

In order to particularly set forth the in vention and a way in which it may be practiced,- the ornaments and apparatus illustrated in the accompanying drawings will be described.

Fig.1 is a plan of a blank from'which an ornament is produced.

Fig.2 is a plan of the blank with decoration applied thereto.

Fig. 8 is an elevation of a bell-shaped ornament.

Fig. 4: is a sectionon the line 44 of Fig. 3.

Fig. 5 is an elevation of a detachable twopiece ornament.

Fig. 6 is a plan of a blank from which a hanger for the ornament is formed. V f. I I i Fig. r 18 a section of a hanger attached o an ornament.

Fig. 8 1s a vertical section of a machine for forming a hollow ornament.

Flg. 9 1s a vertical section of a modified form of machine.

Fig. 10 is a section on the line 10-10 of Fig. 9.

Fig. 11 is a verticalsection of the dies for forming connection for a two-piece ornamerit.

The ornament shown in Fig. 3 is in the shape of a bell and is made from a blank 1 of thin sheet metal or foil which may be aluminum or other suitable metal.

Theblank is decorated with variegated transparent or translucent film 2 in the form of a design through which light is The blank is pressed between suitable dies, as will hereinafter more fully appear, to bring the ornament into the required shape and in this process narrow corrugations, flutes or pleats 3 are produced in the walls of the ornament.

These corrugations, flutes or pleats give rigidity to the ornament and provide a large number of reflecting surfaces or facets arranged at various angles to reflect the light cast thereon, and thereby enhance the brilliancy of the ornament.

If desired these corrugations or pleats may be folded down flat producing a comparatively smooth surface.

Instead of forming the blank into the shape of a bell it may be made in any other concave form and a pair of such concave bodies may be united either permanently or detachably along their open ends.

Fig. 5 shows an ornament comprising a pair of concave shells f and 5 having heads 6 and 7 formed around the open ends thereof by partially flattening out and folding the corrugations entirely over adjacent the open ends.

The corrugations or pleats allow the open ends of the shells to be readily expanded and contracted and permit the bead 6 of the shell f to be snapped over the bead 7 of the shell 5. The resiliency of the metal firmly holds the two shells together.

If the ornament is to be used for decorating Christmas trees it may be provided with a suitable hanger formed integrally therewith or attached thereto.

The hanger 8 shown in the drawing is stamped from a blank 9 of thin metal and has a plurality of attaching tongues 10 which are inserted through the wall of the ornament and clinched over on the inner side thereof.

This hanger may be attached simultaneously with the formation of the ornament as will more fully appear.

The machine shown in Fig. 8 has an upper die carried by the press ram 12 and a lower die supported by the bolster 13 of the machine.

The upper die formed of Babbitt metal, has a semi-spherical central depression 14 and an outwardly flaring portion 15. This die is cast in an inverted cup shaped member 16 carried by the press ram.

Reeiprocation of the upper die is guided by the casting 17.

The lower die has a corrugated central portion 18 supported on the bracket 19 carried by the bolster 13 of the machine and an annular corrugated ring 20.

A stud 21 is secured to the central portion 18 of this die. 4

The annular ring has aplurality of rods 22 secured to the under side thereof. These rods pass through the bracket 19 and engage a disc 23 supported in elevated position by a spring 2 1 arranged between the disc and an adjustable collar 25 on the stud 21.

A cutting ring 26 surrounds the ring 20 and cooperates with a cutting ring 27 carried by the upper die to shear the sheet of metal into a circular blank.

The metal sheet is placed over the cutting ring 26 and the press ram lowered. The blank is cut and the outer edge thereof engaged between the corrugated ring 20 and the outwardly flaring portion 15 of the upper die.

As the press. ram continues to move down the member 20 is forced downward against the sprin and the blank is drawn over the central die portion 18, withdrawn from between the outwardly flaring portion 15 of the upper die and ring 20 and compressed between the upper and lower corrugated dies.

iVhen the disc 23 is moved to its lower position it is engaged by the end of a bell crank 28, pivoted at 29 to any convenient part of the machine. The bell crank 28 holts the disc 23 in lowered position, as shown in dotted lines in Fig. 8, until the upper die has been elevated at which time the end of the bell crank is rocked upwardly and the disc released.

Upward movement of the dies under the action of spring 2 f forces the corrrugated ring 20 upward, which ring engages the lower edge of the ornament and removes it from the central die 18.

The bell crank 28 is operated by a cam 30 carried by the crank shaft of the press.

The cam makes one revolution in the housing 31 for each complete operation of the press and reciprocates the rod 32 secured to the housing and to the bell crank 28.

It vill be noted that in stamping the ornament from the flat sheet the metal is not drawn. The margins of the blank are con tracted by folding or crimping the metal into a succession of ridges or corrugations. This permits the blank to have the colored coating applied thereto before the ornament is formed.

The machine shown in Fig. 9 has an upper die carried by the press ram 33 and guided by the yoke 341-, a lower die supported on the yoke and a plunger 35 c-o-operating with the upper die to attach a hanger to theornament simultaneously with the formation of the ornament.

Thev upper die has an inner bell shaped member 36 and an outer annular member 23'? having a corrugated lower face 38.

The lower die has a central depression 39 cast in a cup shaped member 40 supported by the yoke 34 and an outwardly flaring portion 41. b

Cutting rings 42 and 43 are provided around the upper and lower dies respectively. i y

An annular ring 44 surrounding the cutting ring 43 is supported by springs 44: em bracing guide rod 45 secured to the under side of the ring.

The plunger 35 passes through the lower end of the die 39 and has a recess 47 in its upper end to support a hanger in inverted position therein.

A collar 48 on the plunger supports the same on the forked end of the bracket 49 carried by the press ram. 7

The upper and lower dies are provided with complementary grooves or corrugations which engage 7 when the dies are brought together".

Downward movement of the plunger 35 is arrested by the adjustable stop 50.

The operation of the pressis as follows:

A hanger isplaced in the end of a plunger 35, sheet *of metal 1 which has previously been decorated is placed on the ring i l and the press ram lowered. The blank is cut and engaged between the annular member 37 and the flaring portion ll of the lower die where it is held by the weight of the cylinder 51 from which the member 37 is supported by rods 52.

. These members start the corrugations in the margin of the blank.

The plunger 35 drops until it rests on the stop with its upperend flush with the bottom of the die.

The upper central die 36 engages the blank and forces it down into the lower die withdrawing the margins of the blank from between the member 37 and the outwardly flaring portion 41 of the lower die.

The tongues 10 0f the hanger are punched through the blank, engaged by an annular groove 53 in the end of the upper die and clinched over against the inner surface of the ornament.

When the upper die has moved up nearly to the top of its stroke the bracket 49 engages the collar 48 of the plunger 35 and forces it sharply upward throwing the or nainent out of the lower die.

The dies shown in Fig. 11 for forming the heads 6 and 7 on the adjoining ends of the shells at and 5 of the ornament shown in Fig. 5 comprise a lower die 54:, an upper die 55 and a plunger 56 supporting a compressible ring 57.

The lower die 54 has a central depression 60 corresponding to the form of the lower section of the ornament.

The outer edge of the depression is cut away in the form of an annular scallop 61.

The plunger 56 base rounded end portion 62 and an annular fiange63. Sufficient clearance is provided between the side of the plunger and the die 54 to prevent muti-.

lation of the corrugations of the ornament as the plunger is lowered into contact with the inner end thereof.

The soft rubber ring 57 is supported by the flange 63.

The movable die 55 has an annular groove 64 formed in its lower end for the reception of the open end of-the shell 65 when the die is in lowered position.

The outer edge of the groove 64 terminates in ascallop 66 which with the cutaway portion 61 of the lower die forms an annular groove 67 in which the head is formed.

When the die 55 moves downward the in ner portion 68 thereof compresses the rubber ring 57 against the flange 63 and forces the rubberout radially, partially flattening out the corrugations from the end of the shell and forcing the metal into the groove 67 to form the head 69.

Although the process has been described herein as applied to the production of ornaments it will be understood that it is also applicable to the production of other artidecorating the surface of the metal with a variegated film, and crimping the metal to bring the article into the required form.

l. The method of producing a hollow ornament from sheet metal having a lustrous surface, which comprises decorating such surface with a variegated film through which light is readily transmitted, and crimping the metal to bring it into the re quired form.

5. The method of producing a decorated hollow ornament from a sheet metal blank, which comprises contracting the margin of the blank into a series of folds to bring it into the required form, and securing a suspending member thereto.

6. The method of producing a hollow ornament from sheet metal having a high reflecting surface, which comprises printing a variegated design on such surface through which light is readily transmitted, and crimping the metal to bring the article into the required form.

'7. The method of producing an article, which comprises producing a pair of hollow bodies from sheet metal blanks by forming *rimps in the metal to bring the article into the required form, and uniting said bodies along their open ends.

8. T he method of producing an ornament, which comprises decorating a pair of lustrous sheet metal blanks with a variegated design through which light is readily transmitted, forming the blanks into hollow bodies by crimping the metal to bring it into the required shape, and uniting said bodies along their open ends.

9. The method of producing a hollow article from a sheet metal blank, which comprises forming crimps in said blank to bring it into the required form, partially removing the crimp from the outer end of the body so produced, and forming a bead around said portion.

10. The method of forming an article, which comprises forming a pair of hollow bodies from sheet metal by crimping the netal to bring it into the required form, and forming a bead around an end of said bodies whereby the bodies may be detachably connected.

11. The method of forming an article,

which comprises forming a pair of hollow bodies from sheet metal by crimping the metal to bring it into the required form, and forming a bead around an end of said bodies whereby the bodies may be united.

12. The method of forming an ornament, which comprises coating a pair of sheet metal blanks having a light reflecting surface with a colored film through which light is readily transmitted, forming the blanks into hollow bodies by crimping the metal to bring it into the required shape, and forming a head around the open end of said bodies whereby they may be detachably connected.

13. The method of forming an ornament, which comprises forming a hollow body from a sheet metal blank by crimping the metal to bring it into the required form, and simultaneously attaching a suspending member thereto.

In witness whereof, we have hereunto subscribed our names.

HUGO HELLER. HOBART F. FRIMMEL. 

